Fates

Part 75- Phone Calls

Riya awoke with a gasp, instantly trying to sit up, but a couple of hands gently pushed her back down, and as Riya's vision cleared, she took in her surroundings, only to realize that she was in Drishti's room, laying on her bed. Riya's head was in Drishti's lap, while Prachi was holding her hand.

"Calm down, you're okay, you fainted because you had a fever." Drishti explained gently, as she put a cold wet washcloth on Riya's forehead. Prachi remained uncharacteristically quiet, not even looking at Riya, just wordlessly holding her hand in her own.

"But I didn't have a fever." Riya said disorientedly, in a low voice, pretty sure that she didn't have a fever, not being able to remember what had happened.

"Oh yes you did, you scared us for a minute there. But we called a doctor and she said that there was nothing to worry about. It's only a low-grade fever. Why didn't you say anything if you were feeling sick, idiot?" Drishti said worriedly, trying to be as gentle as possible, but some anger seeped through in her tone.

"But I didn't-" Riya began to say how she hadn't felt sick.

"God dammit Riya!" Prachi yelled, finally speaking up, abruptly jerking her hand out of Riya's, causing both Drishti and Riya to look at her in surprise.

"Why do you keep doing this?! Everyone keeps telling you to rest, but do you listen?! No, you don't!! You keep fainting, you have a fever of 102, just because you don't want to rest! You fainted yesterday, you fainted today! What if you had fainted outside?! Or when you were alone?! Do you know what could've happened?! I can't-." Prachi said coming to the end of her angry rant, as her voice cracked, a few tears falling from her eyes at the thought of something bad happening to Riya.

"Okay, you are the one who needs to calm down now." Drishti said leaning over to gently wipe away Prachi's tears, and then hugging her. Riya's head was still in Drishti's lap so she was too sandwiched in their hug, but chose not to say anything, waiting for Drishti to calm Prachi down, not wanting to get yelled at again.

"Rooh is an idiot, but she's okay now, so don't worry." Drishti said gently, rubbing Prachi's back to calm her down.

"Yeah, she is an idiot isn't she?" Prachi asked with a teary chuckle, hugging Drishti back.

"Oh, yes absolutely." Drishti said, she too chuckling.

"Oh, hello I'm right here, stop insulting me." Riya said in a whiney voice, causing Drishti and Prachi to look down at her without breaking their hug.

"Shut up, you deserve to be insulted, maybe it'll put some sense into you." Prachi said sternly, causing Riya to pout cutely.

"Yeah, and what is this about you fainting yesterday? I called you yesterday and you didn't tell me anything about that? Did you lie to me?" Drishti asked sternly, separating from Prachi to pull Riya's nose.

"Oww! I'm already hurt, why are you trying to hurt me more?" Riya asked being dramatic, Drishti wasn't even pulling that hard.

"Yes, go ahead Drishti di, that's what liars deserve." Prachi said in support of Drishti, smiling happily, enjoying this way too much.

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"Why are you still doing this? My fever is already gone." Riya said in a whiney voice as Prachi now put a cold wet washcloth on Riya's forehead, soaking it in a cold water bowl that was on the bed stand, and repeating the process.

Riya's head was now in Prachi's lap since Prachi took over for Drishti. While Drishti went to make khichdi for Riya, something that made Riya make a face, but she had been overruled because it was 2 against 1.

"Shush, the doctor said to check your temperature again in 3 hours, you have been passed out for about 2 hours, me and Drishti di just don't want to take any chances." Prachi said leaving no room for argument, making Riya whine, she felt like a patient in a hospital, and she hated that feeling.

But before Riya could say anything else her phone, which was in her pant pocket rang, without moving away from Prachi, Riya took out her phone only to freeze when she saw that her Dad was calling her.

"What happened, Riu? Why aren't picking up the phone?" Prachi asked confused, when Riya just kept staring at her phone, Prachi looked at the phone's screen only to see that Riya's dad was calling.

"I can't Pikachu." Riya said genuinely shocked.

"If Papa finds out that I fainted again he will lose it. Yesterday he didn't leave me alone the entire night. If he finds out that it happened again, I won't hear the end of it. When it comes to my health, my Papa goes insane." Riya said dramatically.

"Please tell me Pikachu, that you won't tell Dad what happened. He trusts you more than he does me. This is no joke, it's a situation of life and death." Riya said more dramatically, abruptly sitting up and making the washcloth fall off of her forehead and onto the bed.

"Absolutely not, I'm not lying to Uncle for you. There's a reason why he trusts me more than you. And that reason is that he knows I will never lie to him. I'm not breaking that trust." Prachi said honestly.

"Now come on, lay back down." Prachi said making Riya lay down with Riya's head on her lap again, picking up the washcloth from the bed, soaking it, and putting it back on Riya's forehead. While Riya breathed a sigh of relief as the call cut, but Riya's relief was short-lived as her Dad called her again.

"What if I say that my phone died? Or that it fell and broke? Or that I was abducted by aliens and I left my phone behind?" Riya said as she thought out loud, making Prachi roll her eyes.

"Give me the phone." Prachi said abruptly taking the phone from Riya, and trapping Riya's hands in one of her own, when Riya tried to take the phone back, when Riya gave up on trying to get her phone back, Prachi picked up the call.

******
Abhi breathed a sigh of relief when Riya picked up her phone but was surprised by who he heard on the other side of the phone.

"Hello, Uncle?" Abhi heard Prachi say.

"Hi, Prachi beta, what are you doing with Princess's phone?" Abhi asked confused but with a smile as he heard Prachi's voice.

"Oh, actually Uncle, Riya is with me now." Prachi told Abhi.

"Oh that's nice, what are you guys doing?" Abhi asked curiously, happy that Prachi and Riya were bonding.

"We're at Drishti di's house. To celebrate her new job." Prachi said smiling.

"Oh really? That's great! Can I talk to Drishti?" Abhi asked happily wanting to congratulate her.

"She's not here right now but she'll be back in a bit." Prachi said smiling.

"Oh, okay, is Princess with you? Can I talk to her?" Abhi asked, wanting to hear his daughter's voice to know for sure that she was okay.

"N- no you can't." Abhi heard Prachi say after a short silence, his forehead creasing in confusion.

"Why not? Is she okay? Where is she?" Abhi asked worriedly.

"Uh-- because she--- she's also with Drishti di." Prachi said making up a lie on the spot.

"And she is fine." Prachi said reassuringly and it wasn't a full-on lie, Riya was half fine now.

"Are you sure?" Abhi said raising an eyebrow, having a gut feeling that Prachi was keeping something from him.

"Of course, I'm sure Uncle. What kind of question is that?" Prachi asked with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah I guess, I'm just on edge after yesterday, that's all." Abhi said with a weak chuckle of his own.

"Okay Rooh the khichdi is ready." Abhi heard Drishti say in the background of the phone before Prachi could say anything else.

"What Drishti di? Do I really have to?" Abhi then heard Riya say in a whiney voice, and it sounded like she was really close to the phone.

"Prachi is that Princess and Drishti that I hear? Didn't you say that they were somewhere else?" Abhi asked sternly, causing Prachi to make a regretful face.

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